NNAT - Reasoning by Analogy Explained with Sample Questions

Read up on useful tips to help your child tackle the Reasoning by Analogy section of the NNAT.

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In Reasoning by Analogy questions students are expected to recognize relationships among various geometric shapes. To determine which answer choice is correct, the student must determine how the geometric objects change as one moves across the rows and down the columns of the design. Reasoning by Analogy questions require that the student pay careful attention to the details of the design and work with more than one dimension (shape and shading) simultaneously. Reasoning by Analogy questions appear in NNAT Level A (kindergarten), NNAT Level B (1st grade), NNAT Level C (2nd grade), and NNAT Level D (3rd and 4th grades).

NNAT Reasoning by Analogy Sample Question

In the analogy below look for a relationship among the figures across the rows and down the columns. The direction in which you examine the question should depend on where you can most easily visualize the analogous relationship.

Answer and Explanation

The correct answer is A.

Look at the top row. Focus on a specific part of the shape and pay attention to how it transforms throughout the row. For example, in the left frame, the top blue square appears in the left corner, while in the right frame, the top blue square appears in the right corner. We can see that the left figure is the mirror image of the right figure. In other words, flipping the left figure horizontally will result in the figure on the right.

Now look at the bottom row. The figures in the bottom row will follow the same rules. The figure on the right will be the mirror image of the figure on the left. The left figure contains a white circle on top of four squares: yellow in the top-left and bottom-right corners and blue in the top-right and bottom-left corners. The figure on the right will also contain a white circle on top of four squares, only the yellow squares will be positioned in the top-right and bottom-left corners and the blue squares will be positioned on the top-left and bottom-right corners. Therefore, the correct answer is answer choice A.

Solving NNAT Reasoning by Analogy Questions

Reasoning by Analogy items require students to find how the objects change as one moves both across the rows and down the columns in the design. In order to succeed on the Reasoning by Analogy portion of the Naglieri Nonverbal Ability Test, it is vital that your child understands this concept.

Encourage your child to create “bridge sentences” when searching for analogous relationships. Practice solving the questions by saying: “A _________is to _________as_________ is to_________.“ This approach helps children avoid error in the Reasoning by Analogy section of the NNAT2, as it encourages systematic and logical problem solving.

In complicated patterns, it is helpful to focus on a specific part of the pattern and pay attention to how it changes throughout the problem.

Predict what the answer will be before looking at the choices. The answer choices on the NNAT can be tricky and confusing. It is often helpful to predict what the answer will be before looking at the answer choices.

Encourage your child to practice eliminating answer choices.

Practice with TestPrep-Online

We offer different levels of PrepPacks for the NNAT. Different levels have different kinds of questions and aim for different ages. We work hard to make sure our packs are child friendly and reliable.

In order to get your child ready for all types of questions in the NNAT exam, we created drills. Our drills are made of questions that focus on each subject individually. The drills offer a good practice for each subject, they include detailed explanation and are designed to teach your child different solving methods.

Our packs also include a Parent Manual and a Study Guide for Kids. The Parent Manual helps to put focus on things that might be difficult for your child to understand. The Study Guide has simplified examples for questions that appear in NNAT tests.

In every pack you will also find three full-length tests that simulate the NNAT as best as possible. They are comprised of all the kinds of question you can meet in an actual NNAT test.

Both our drills and sample tests can be used in either timed mode or one-question-at-a-time mode. That way your child can either take his time and think through on each question or challenge himself/herself and answer questions under time-pressure.

NNAT Video Academy

Continue practicing Reasoning by Analogy questions with the NNAT Video Academy. This five video series covers each of the four NNAT question types in detail, including Reasoning by Analogy. The Video Academy is included in every Premium Pack. See the video below for an inside look at the video series.

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